Southfield

April 24, 2013

Pizza order from vacant home ends in mugging

By Jessica Strachan
C & G Staff Writer

SOUTHFIELD — A local Hungry Howie’s employee was on what should have been a typical delivery run the evening of April 18 when he ended up staring down the barrel of a shotgun, according to police reports.

Lt. Nick Loussia, of the Southfield Police Department, said it was around 5:40 p.m. when the 29-year-old delivery man from Detroit was dropping off a pizza to a home in the 15000 block of Mount Vernon Street.

“The individual at the home asked him to step inside and put the pizza down, and he did. As he was setting it down, the male pulled out a shotgun and pointed it at the victim,” Loussia said. “The victim grabbed a hold of the shotgun and the two began to struggle.”

Eventually, the victim was able to get outside, away from the suspect, without being shot, the report indicated, though the suspect was able to catch up to him and strike him several times, both with the gun and with his hands. The victim continued to flee on foot and called 911 once he was in a safe spot, Loussia said.

Based on the suspect information and investigation, police checked the neighborhood, as it was discovered that the house he ordered pizza from was a vacant home and not the suspect’s — or anyone else’s — residence.

Police eventually found the suspect, a 24-year-old Detroit resident, hiding inside another home in the neighborhood, which belonged to a relative of the suspect.

The suspect was placed under arrest and charged with armed robbery, according to Loussia.

The shotgun was recovered, and the victim was treated on the scene for minor injuries, including abrasions on his face, head and hands.

The report did not indicate which Hungry Howie’s location the man called, though Loussia said he believed it was not a Southfield branch.